Fountain pen



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FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Nov. 24, 19215 lu/vendu: 6. l xterlwu', Ji' J uf 1ML-1 mm. WA.

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED s'lm'rasa GEORGE HOWARD OSTERHOUT, JB., 0F BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA.

`ia'oUN'rluN PEN. I

Application led November 24, 1923. Seria-1 No. 676,875.

To all whom it ymay concern.:v

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. OSTER- noU'r, JR., a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaufort, in the county of Beaufort and State -of South Carolina, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain Pens; and I d0 hereby declare the following to be a full, clear. and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in fountain pens in which provision is made for the ready cleaning and filling of the pen with the entire avoidance of pumping air or formation of bubbles.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the escape of air which collects in the barrel above the column of ink and the provision of the pen which may be made of transparent material, making the supply of ink and the functionino of the pen visible'.

Further objects of the invention are to dispose with the sack now usually employed, to provide a pen which will be easy and inexpensive to make.-

The above, and various other objects and advantages of this invention will 1n part be described in, and in part be understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred .embodiment of the invention, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein similar reference symbols indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side view of an improved pen constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a similar section taken at substantially righ-t angl to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a topl plan view.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on the line 6-6 in F ig. 1.

Fi 7 is also a cross section taken on the line -7 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section taken through a modified form of pen, and

Fig. 9 is a cross section on the line 9-9 in Fig.A 8.

Referring for the present to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, 10 designates a barrel of rubber andbeing either transparent or opaque, but being preferably elliptical in cross section as indicated in Fig. 5. At one end the barrel is permanently closed by a Vfired and integral head 11, while vthe other end of the barrel is left open to receive cylindrical base 12 provided with ther inner reduced end 13 adapted to snugly fit within the open end of said barrel, and there being a shoulder 14 adjacent such end of the base member to fit against the mouth of the barrel. The base member is open from end to end,and its inner portion is provided with the threads 15 by which the plug 16 is removably vsecured therein, this plug being provided with the spoon or ink cup 17, which extends about within the pen point indicated at 18.

The barrel 10 is adapted to form a reservoir for ink or like material without the aid of any containing sack, and the fluid may be drawn in by the use of a plunger operated by the spiral shaft 19, which traverses the barrel, and extends substantially from end to end thereof. This spiral shaft is hollow. and is provided with a perforation 20 substantially at its upper end by which the internal space of the shaft is put 1n open communication with the interior space of the barrel above the plunger. The plunger is composed of a pair of metallic heads 21 and 22 fitted upon opposite sides of a fibre disk 23, the three parts being held together by the bolts or other fastenings 24. A substantially rectangular opening is made centrally through the plunger thus constructed, and the spiral shaft is adapted to snugly engage through this rectangular opening. The plunger partakes ofthe same form as the elliptical barrel so that when the shaft is rotated, a longitudinal movement will be imparted to the non-rotary plunger. This rotary movement is communicated to the shaft from the exterior as by the use of a head 25 having a knurled exterior surface for facility in turning. The interior of the head contains a sleeve 26 of metal or other suitable material h-aving an opening which is square or of other desired shape to conform to the square or other upper end 27 of the spiral shaft. Any driving connection will be sufficient for the purpose. Above the square portion 27 is a threaded extremity 28 of the spiral shaft which takes into a nut 29 carried by the cap piece 30 which is of the Same eneral shape as the head 25, The shatxis Cil .provided with a neck 31 extending between the spiral port-ion and the square part, and this round shank engages through similar round openings in the closed integral head l1. of the barrel and in metallic and fibre washers 32 and 33 respectively, which are situated upon the inner side of the barrel. The metallic washer 32 is innermost in order to take the wear of the adjacent spiral part of the shaft, while the fibre washer 33 avoids leakage of ink.

The lower end of the spiral shaft 19 is provided with a round hollow trunnion 34 open at its bottom and communicating at its upper end with the interior spaceof the shaft. This trunnion fits into a socket 35 made centrally in the plug 16, and the socket isv slightly deeper than the trunnion to create an air chamber below the trunnion, with which air chamber connect one or more lateral openings 36 which extend through the lateral wall of the plug 16. Air is thus permitted to escape from the chamber and from the barrel. The-base member 12 is also provided with one or more lateral air openings or vents 37 and air vents 38 are further provided in the cap 39.

An ink passage or through the plug 16 and the spoon or ink cup to the nib and this passage is direct and is off center.

The cap 39 is provided with usual holding clip 41 and adequately carries a spring clip 42 affixed to t-he cap as indicated at 43 and extending along the outside face thereof. The member 42 is provided with an inwardly turned free end 44 engaging through a slot in the cap and adapted to fit within the annular channels 45 provided in the barrel andv in the base vmember 12 respectively. These channels are provided with bevelled edges 46 to guide the end 44 of the locked clip into place.

In use, the cap 39 is removed and the pen is inserted into a body of ink. The spiral shaft is rotated by the use of the head 25 causing the plunger to ascend and to draw in the ink through the duct 40. At the same time the plunger tends to compress air in the upper portion of the barrel, but this air finds a free escape through the port 20, the, hollow shaft trunnion 34` chamber 25 and the vent 36. There is, therefore, no tendency to pumping air or to thel formation of bubbles` and a full and complete supply of ink is drawn into the barrel. By reversing the direction of movement of the plunger several times an effective cleaning of the pen may be had. It is also desirable to provide a metallic washer 47 at the base of the spiral portion of the shaftx in ycombination with a fibre washer 48 in order to take up the wear and at the same time to exclude ink from the chamber 35.

In Figures 8 and 9 the barrel 49 is shown duct 40 is made4 as circular in cross section, but in this case, in order to avoid rotation of the plunger with the spiral shaft, longitudinal grooves 50 are made in the internal Wall of the barrel, preferably diametrically opposite one another, and in these grooves are slidably fitted lugs 5l extending from the plunger.

rlhis arrangement permits the plunger to move freely in a longitudinal direction without, however, participating in the rotary movement of the spiral shaft. In all other respects, the same construction and arrangement is adhered to and the operation is substantially the same.

When the cap 39 is to be removed, a pull on cap 39, causes the tooth of the locking member 44 to bear against the cammed surface on outer side lof the annular channels 45 and 4,6, and this causes a withdrawal of the tooth 44 from the grooves which it engages. Turning the member 30 tightens nut on top of shaft thereby compressing the fibre washer 33; while pressure on head 12 similarly compresses metallic oand fibre washer 47.

It will clearly appear that the construction is easy and inexpensive to make and that if the barrel is made of some transparent material the internal functions of the part may be clearly observed and the condition of the pen as to the quantity of ink on hand is always made known.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and. modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fountain pen comprising a barrel, a hollow spiral shaft therein communicating with the inner portion of the barrel, a base member at the outer end of the barrel, a plug in the base member having a fluid duct and a socket provided with an internal chainher communicating with the atmosphere, a hollow trunnion on said spiral shaft journalled in said socket, a plunger in the barrel reeiprocated by saidspiral shaft and means for rotating said spiral shaft.

2. A fountain pen comprising a barrel, a plunger therein fixed against rotation, but moving longitudinally, a spiral shaft passing through the plunger and being hollow within, the interior space of the hollow spiral shaft communicating with the barrel at one side of the plunger, a pen adapted to receive ink from the barrel at the other side of the plunger, a plug adjoining the pen forming a bearing for the spiral shaft and having an outlet to the atmosphere for the interior hollow portion of the shaft.

3. A fountain pen comprising a barrel, a

.' througl'i the side of the plug.'

hollow spiral shaft therein communicating at one end of the interior space of the barrel, a plunger adapted to be moved back and forth by the rotation of said spiral shaft, means on tie exterior of the barrel for rotating said shaft, a base member secured to one end of said barrel, a plug removably carried by the base member and having a fluid ductl communicating with the barrel, said plunger also having a socket for turning one end of said hollow spiral shaft, said socket being deeper tha-n the portion of the shaft engaging therein, said plug having avent extending from the inner portion of the socket 4. A fountain pen comprlsin a barrel closed at one end, a base mem r in the other end, a plug removably fitted in said base member and rovided with a socket having communicatlon with the atmosphere and a Huid duct at the side of the socket,

a hollow spiral shaft journalled in the closed end ofsaid barrel and in said plug, a plunger in the barrel moved longitudinally by sai spiral shaft, said spiral shaft having communication with the interior space of the barrel adjacent its closed end, backing between the closed end of the barrel and said spiral shaft and a rotary head on the exterior of the closed head of the barrel having a driving connection with said spiral shaft.

5. A fountain pen comprising a barrel having a closed and open end, a cylindrical base lmember fitted in the open end, a plug removably secured in said base member and having a central socket communicating with the atmosphere and an eccentric fluid duct, a spiral hollow shaft journalled in the closed head and in said socket of the plug and hav- 4 ing an opening communicating with the inner portion of the barrel adjacent the closed head, gaskets arranged between the closed head and the spiral portion of the shaft, other gaskets arranged between the spiral shaft and said plug, a rotary head having driving engagement with said spiral shaft beyond the closed head of the barrel, and means for holding said driving head in place on the shaft end.

GEDRGE HOWARD OSTERHUT, Jr. 

